House Speaker Todd Richardson recently announced the creation of the Interim Committee Stabilizing Missouri’s Health Insurance Markets to “gain a better understanding of what changes at the federal level will mean to health insurance markets in the state.”

The Governor has until today to sign or veto legislation passed during the 2017 State Legislative session. On the last day of the 2017 fiscal year, June 30, Governor Greitens signed the budget to begin the Fiscal Year 2018, July 1.

Governor Greitens called his first Extraordinary Session to consider legislation that would allow the Public Service Commission to negotiate and approve lower electric rates for a longer contract for manufacturers using a lot of electricity. This legislation is necessary to attract a company to build a steel mill in New Madrid Missouri.

The Missouri Senate’s journey to push out the state’s $27.8 billion budget has been a hurried effort, having received the bills later than usual, but Missouri’s upper chamber managed to knock out the budget with 24 hours to spare.

Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla, serves as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations committee and admitted that the budget this session was rather rushed, with the Senate having just 17 legislative days to work out the kinks. And there was plenty to be worked out, as members of both chambers still had strong feelings about certain items, perhaps none more so than the proposed cuts to in-home care and nursing services.